Homework 7 Solutions.

6.1 #12. Assuming that is transcendental over Q, show that either + e or e is transcendental over Q. Proof. Suppose, by way of contradiction that + e is algebraic over Q with degree m, and that e is algebraic over Q with degree n. Then we have [Q( + e, e) : Q] mn. Now, consider f (x) = x2 + ( + e)x + e Q( e, + e)[x]. Observe that its roots are and e. Therefore, we have [Q(, e, e, + e) : Q( e, + e)] = [Q(, e) : Q( e, + e)] 2. It follows that [Q(, e) : Q] = [Q(, e) : Q( e, + e)] [Q( e, + e) : Q] 2mn. Since Q(, e), we see that [Q( ) : Q] 2mn, which implies that is algebraic over Q, a contradiction. 6.2 #1. Find the degree and a basis for each of the given eld extensions. (a) Q( 3) over Q. Solution: The minimal polynomial of 3 over Q is f3 (x) = x2 3. (It is monic and irreducible ( 3 -Eisenstein) with 3 as a root.) Hence, we have [ Q ( 3) : Q] = 2; a basis is {1, 3}. (b) Q( 3, 7) over Q. Solution: Part (a) implies that [Q( 3) : Q] = 2. We claim that 7 Q( 3). To see this, suppose on the contrary that 7 Q( 3). Since Q( 3) = Q[ 3], there exists a, b Q with 7 = a + b 3. We suppose that a, b = 0. The case when one of a or 2 b = 0 is similar. Squaring gives 49 = a + 2ab 3 + 3b2 , from which it follows that a2 +3b2 ) 3 = 49(2 Q, a contradiction. Hence, x2 7 is irreducible over Q( 3); it is ab the minimal polynomial over Q( 3), so we conclude that [Q( 3, 7) : Q( 3)] = 2, and that {1, 7} is a basis for Q( 3, 7) over Q( 3). We compute [Q( 3, 7) : Q( 3)] [Q( 3) : Q] = 2 2 = 4; The extension Q( 3, 7) has basis {1, 3, 7, 3 7 = 21} over Q.

 (c) Q( 3 + 7) over Q.

Solution: Problem #9 below asserts that Q( 3 + 7) = Q ( 3, 7). An alternative approach is as follows. One can verify that = 3 + 7 satises f (x) = x4 20x2 + 16. It remains to show that f (x) is irreducible over Q. One can use the Rational Root Theorem to verify that f (x) has no linear factors in Q[x], and hence, no cubic factors in Q[x]. To show that f (x) has no quadratic factors in Q[x], we suppose that a, b, c, d Q with f (x) = (x2 + ax + b)(x2 + cx + d). Comparing coefcients yields: a + c = 0; b + ac + d = 20; ad + bc = 0; bd = 16. We deduce that c = a; it follows that ad + bc = a(d b) = 0. Therefore, we have either a = 0 or b = d. a = 0. If a = 0, then c = a = 0. Furthermore, we nd that b + d = 20. Substituting in bd = 16 gives b(b 20) = b2 20b = 16, which implies that b2 + 20b + 16 = 0. One can now use the Rational Root Theorem to show that no such b Q exists. b = d. If b = d, then b = 4. If b = 4, we have b + ac + d = 8 a2 = 20 which gives a2 = 28; no such a Q exists. If b = 4, we have b + ac + d = 8 a2 = 20 which gives a2 = 12; again, no such a Q exists.

We conclude that f (x) is irreducible. Hence, it is the minimal polynomial of over Q. We now have [Q() : Q] = 4. A basis for Q() over Q is {1, , 2 , 3 }. (d) Q( 2, 3 2) over Q. Solution: We observe that 3 2 = [Q( 2) : Q] | [Q( 2, 2) : Q] 3 3 3 = [Q( 2) : Q] | [Q( 2, 2) : Q]. Since gcd(2, 3) = 1, we nd that 6 | [Q( 2, 3 2), Q], so 6 [Q( 2, 3 2) : Q]. On the other hand, we note that 3 3 [Q( 2, 2) : Q] [Q( 2) : Q] [Q( 2) : Q] = 2 3 = 6. We conclude that [Q( 2, 3 2) : Q] = 6. To write down a basis, note that 3 3 [Q( 2, 2) : Q] = [Q( 2, 2) : Q( 2)] [Q( 2) : Q] = 6, 2 so we have [Q( 2, 3 2) : Q( 2)] = 3 with basis {1, 3 2, 3 2 }, and [Q( 2) : Q] = 2 with basis {1, 2}. Therefore, a basis for the degree 6 eld over Q is obtained by multiplying the bases together: 2 2 3 3 3 3 {1, 2, 2, 2 , 2 2, 2 2 } 2

Alternatively, one could take for a basis: = {1, 21/6 , 21/3 , 21/2 , 22/3 , 25/6 }. 6.2 #3. Find the degree of Q( 3 2, 4 5) over Q. Solution: We observe: 3 3 4 3 = [Q( 2) : Q] | [Q( 2, 5) : Q] 3 4 4 4 = [Q( 5) : Q] | [Q( 2, 5) : Q]. 3 4 Since gcd(3 , 4) = 1 , we see that 3 4 = 12 | [ Q ( 2 , 5) : Q]. It follows that 12 [Q( 3 2, 4 5) : Q]. On the other hand, we compute 4 3 4 3 [Q( 2, 5) : Q] [Q( 2) : Q] [Q( 5) : Q] = 3 4 = 12. Therefore, we conclude that [Q( 3 2, 4 5) : Q] = 12. 6.2 #4. Let F be a nite extension of K such that [F : K ] = p is prime. If u F \K , show that F = K (u). Proof. We rst note that K K (u) F . Since u K , we have K = K (u), so [K (u) : K ] > 1. But also, we have [K (u) : K ] | [F : K ] = p. Now, [K (u) : K ] = 1, implies that [K (u) : K ] = p. Multiplicativity of degrees in towers gives [F : K (u)] = 1; hence we conclude that F = K (u). 6.2 #5. Let f (x) be an irreducible polynomial in K [x]. Show that if F is an extension eld of K such that deg(f (x)) is relatively prime to [F : K ], then f (x) is irreducible in F [x]. Proof. Without loss of generality, suppose that f (x) is monic. (If not, we divide f (x) by an appropriate c K \{0} (a unit) to make it monic.) Let u be a root of the polynomial f (x). Then f (x) = fK,u (x) is the minimal polynomial of u over K . We compute [F (u) : K ] in two ways: [F (u) : F ] [F : K ] = [F (u) : F ] = [F (u) : K (u)] [K (u) : K ]. It follows that [K (u) : K ] | [F (u) : F ] [F : K ]. By hypothesis, deg(fK,u (x)) = [K (u) : K ] is relatively prime to [F : K ]. Therefore, we have [K (u) : K ] | [F (u) : F ]; we note that [K (u) : K ] [F (u) : F ]. But K F implies that fF,u (x) | fK,u (x) in F [x], so deg(fK,u (x)) = [K (u) : K ] [F (u) : F ] = deg(fF,u (x)). Hence, we have deg(fF,u (x)) = deg(fK,u (x)). Since fF,u (x) | fK,u (x) and both polynomials are monic, we conclude that fK,u (x) = fF,u (x). I.e., as the minimal polynomial of u over F , f (x) = fK,u (x) is irreducible over F .

6.2 #7. Let F K be elds, and let R be a ring such that F R K . If F is an algebraic extension of K , show that R is a eld. What happens if we do not assume that F is algebraic over K ? Proof. Suppose that R = K , and Let r R\K . Then r = 0. Since r R F , r is algebraic over K : let fK,r (x) = xn + an1 xn1 + + a1 x + a0 K [x] be the minimal polynomial of r over K . Since fK,r (x) is irreducible, we have a0 = 0. Therefore, fK,r (r) = 0 implies that r 1 a0 rn1 + + a1 a0 = 1.

1 1 Note that a exists in R, so R is a division ring. It lies in F , so it is 0 K R. Hence, r commutative. We conclude that R is a eld.

6.2 #9. For any positive integers a, b, show that Q( a + b) = Q( a, b). Proof. Let K := Q ( a, b ) , and let L := Q ( a + b). Suppose that a = b. Then K = Q( a) = Q(2 a) = L. Hence, we may assume that a = b. First, note that a, b K . Therefore, we have a + b K . It follows that L K . Next, we show that a, b L. We observe that ( a + b)2 (a + b) L. ab = 2 Therefore, since a = b, we have b( a + b) ab( a + b) = bL b a a( a + b) ab( a + b) = a L. ab We conclude that K L.

6.2 #10. Let F be an extension eld of K . Let a F be algebraic over K , and let t F be transcendental over K . Show that a + t is transcendental over K . Proof. Suppose, by way of contradiction, that b := a + t is algebraic over K . Note that since a and t F , we have b = a + t F . The set of all elements of F which are algebraic over K form a eld; therefore, since a, b F , it follows that b a = t is algebraic over K . But this contradicts the hypothesis that t is transcendental over K .